Supporting device.



J. C. KLENK & J. J. CRONIN.

SUPPORTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3. I916.

1 9 97? Patented June 12, 1917.

barren snares JOHN C. KLENK AND JOHN J'. CRONIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SUPPORTING DEVICE.

Application filed May 3, 1916.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, J 01m C. KLENK and JOHNJ. CRONIN, citizens of the United States, and residents of the city ofChicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Supporting Devices, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Our invention relates to supporting devices, and more particularly tothat class thereof generally known as gambrel sticks which are designedfor use especially in the supporting of hogs in the course of dressingof the same in the travel of the hogs through packing plants.

The object of our invention i s the production of a device of thecharacter mentioned whereby a hog may be readily and expeditiouslysuspended in the position desired, and as easily and expeditiouslyreleased when desired.

A further object is the production of a supporting device which will inno way injure the parts with which the same comes in contact in thesupport of a hog, and further, one which will be of durable andeconomical construction.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in the combinationsand arrange ments of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a supporting device embodying theinvention, and

Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged sections taken on lines and g y respectivelyof Fig. 1.

The preferred form of construction, as illustrated in the drawings,comprises 'an elongated yoke or beam 1 adapted, in the employment of thedevice, to be suspended from a suitable carriage whereby the hog ismoved along in the course of treatment to which the same is subjected.To prevent shifting of the yoke 1, relative to the carriage upon whichthe same is suspended, said yoke is provided, intermediate its ends,with downwardly opening recesses l for the reception of the portions ofthe carriage which engage with said yoke.

Provided at the respective ends of yoke 1 are bails 2 which are looselyconnected with said yoke by means of links 3. Mount- Specification ofLetters Patent.

"atented June 32, 191i? Serial No. 95,044.

ed in each of said bails is a supporting member l mounted for swinging,about horizontal axes, upon trunnions constituted by screws 5 providedat the ends of the bail and projecting inwardly therefrom. The members aare substantially heart-shaped in form, said members being so balancedupon the trunnions 5, that the tapering ends of said members normallyare positioned at the under sides of said members.

In use, the two hind feet of the hog, illustrated at A, are insertedinto the members 1-, the weight of the hog serving to carry the engagedportions of the feet downwardly into engagement with the convergingsides of the members 4-, which thus securely grip the same and lock thehog to the device.

To insure against slipping of the engaged portions from the members 4t,the latter are formed at their inner sides with longitudinally extendingridges 6 V-shaped in cross section, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. Theseridges, are, of course, adapted to engage firmly in the flesh of theinserted portions of the hog and thus preclude slipping. At the oppositeor upper side of each member a is provided a forwardly projecting prong'7 which is adapted to engage with the rearward side of the insertedfoot of the hog between the dew-claws of the same and thus prevent anyrelative rotary movement.

Release of the hog thus held in readily and expeditiously efiected bysimply tilting the members t to inverted position, since when this isdone, it will be seen that, the engaged feet of the hog will slide intothe larger portions of the members 4: and thus become automaticallyreleased. Inversion of the members i, as mentioned, is effected byengagement with the lower ends of said members which are curvedoutwardly and downwardly, as shown at 8, for this purpose. Thus, with aconstruction, as set forth, it will be seen that a hog may be readilyand quickly suspended in the position desired by simply inserting thehind feet of the hog into the members at. This having been done, whenthe device is raised, the engaged feet of the hog will, by gravity,engage in the lowered tapering portions of the openings in the members 4and the prongs 7 will engage with the rear sides of the engaged feetbetween the dew claws, resulting in the secure fastening of the hog tothe supporting device, and without in any way cutting or bruising theflesh of the engaged portions. lVhen it is desired to release the hog,it is only necessary to engage the ends 8 of the members 4: and tilt thesame upwardly, since when this is done, the prongs 7 are moved toreleasing position and the engaged hog feet slide by gravity fromengagement with the converging gripping sides of the members 4, with theresult that the hog automatically releases itself of its own weight.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying out our invention, this is capable ofvariation and modification without departing from the spirit of theinvention. We, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of suchvariations and modifications as come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. A gambrel stick comprising a supporting member mounted for swingingon a horizontal axis positioned intermediate the ends of said member,said member having an opening therein for the reception of the object tobe suspended, the lower portion of said opening tapering downwardly forgripping the object inserted in said opening, substantially asdescribed.

2. A gambrel stick comprising a supporting member mounted for swingingon a hori zontal axis, said member having an opening therein for thereception of the object to be suspended, the lower portion of sa1dopening tapering downwardly for gripping the object inserted in saidopening; and a prong provided at the opposite side of said member forengagement with the upper portion of the object arranged in saidopening, substantially as described.

3. A gambrel stick comprising a yoke; supporting members provided at therespective ends of said yoke and connected therewith for swinging abouthorizontal axes positioned intermediate the ends thereof, said membershaving openings therein adapted, when said members are in operativeposition, to receive and grip inserted portions of the object suspended,substantially as described.

4-. A gambrel stick comprising a yoke; bails depending from therespective ends of said yoke; and supporting members mount ed in saidbails for free swinging about horizontal axes intermediate the endsthereof, said members having openings therein adapted, when said membersare in opera tive position to receive and grip inserted portions of theobject to be suspended, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN G. KLENK. JOHN J. GRONIN. Witnesses JOSHUA R. H. Po'rrs, HELEN F.LILLIs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

